Eric Roberts

Proclaimed by <i>Interview</i> magazine as having so handsome a profile "it could be struck on a Roman coin," actor Eric Roberts was best-known for two things: 1) being a great actor who...
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Charlie Sheen's porn star ex Bree Olson has joined director Tom Six and Julia Roberts' brother Eric in the third Human Centipede movie. Writer/director Six will actually appear in the third instalment, Final Sequence, which will conclude the trilogy about a sick doctor who drugs victims and then sews them together, linked mouth-to-anus.
Roberts tells EW.com the third film is "really horrible", adding, "We have a centipede that is made of prison inmates, and they're all hooked together. When you see this, you will never want to commit a crime and go to prison."
Olson and former wrestler Tommy 'Tiny' Lister will have supporting roles in the film.

Julia Roberts' half-sister, Nancy Motes, has died at the age of 37. Motes passed away in Los Angeles on Sunday (09Feb14) from an apparent drug overdose.
A statement from the family, reads, "It is with deep sadness that the family of Nancy Motes... confirms that she was found dead in Los Angeles yesterday of an apparent drug overdose. There is no official report from the Coroner's office yet. The family is both shocked and devastated."
Motes was planning a May (14) wedding to her fiance, film location manager John Dilbeck, at the time of her death.

American Hustle, Gravity and 12 Years A Slave look set to dominate the 2014 Academy Awards. The movies will go head-to-head for Best Picture along with Captain Phillips, Nebraska, Philomena, Dallas Buyers Club, Her and The Wolf of Wall Street.
British stars Christian Bale (American Hustle) and Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years A Slave) both scored a mention for Best Actor, while American Hustle's Amy Adams will go head-to-head with Gravity's Sandra Bullock for Best Actress.
Other actresses nominated in the category are Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine), Judi Dench (Philomena) and Meryl Streep (August: Osage County).
Last year's (13) winner of the Best Actress trophy, Jennifer Lawrence, will compete for Best Supporting Actress for her role in American Hustle, while Bradley Cooper landed a Best Supporting Actor nod for his role in the crime caper.
12 Years A Slave co-stars Lupita Nyong'o and Michael Fassbender also picked up nods for their supporting roles, while the film's director Steve McQueen and American Hustle's David. O. Russell both landed nominations for Best Director along with Gravity's Alfonso Cuaron.
Speaking shortly after the nominations were announced, British moviemaker McQueen told the BBC, "(I am) just very excited - nine nominations. A lot of them (the Oscar nominees are) British. I am just so excited. We worked very hard and are very privileged to receive these nominations."
While O. Russell admits he is thrilled that all four of his film's main actors picked up nods, adding, "It's all four actors... you always worry as sort of the captain... that one of your great performers is not going to get recognised... they all put so much into it and they did it together so it's nice that none of them got left out."
American Hustle and Gravity both scored 10 nominations, while 12 Years A Slave landed nine.
The nominations were announced by actor Chris Hemsworth and Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Cheryl Boone Isaacs on Thursday (16Jan14), and the winners will be unveiled during the Los Angeles prizegiving on 2 March (14).
The full list of nominees is as follows:
Best Picture:
American Hustle
Captain Phillips
Dallas Buyers Club
Gravity
Her
Nebraska
Philomena
12 Years A Slave
The Wolf of Wall Street
Directing:
David O. Russell - American Hustle
Alfonso Cuaron - Gravity
Alexander Payne - Nebraska
Steve McQueen - 12 Years a Slave
Martin Scorsese - The Wolf of Wall Street
Actor in a Leading Role:
Christian Bale - American Hustle
Bruce Dern - Nebraska
Leonardo DiCaprio - The Wolf of Wall Street
Chiwetel Ejiofor - 12 Years a Slave
Matthew McConaughey - Dallas Buyers Club
Actress in a Leading Role:
Amy Adams - American Hustle
Cate Blanchett - Blue Jasmine
Sandra Bullock - Gravity
Judi Dench - Philomena
Meryl Streep - August: Osage County
Actor in a Supporting Role:
Barkhad Abdi - Captain Phillips
Bradley Cooper - American Hustle
Michael Fassbender - 12 Years A Slave
Jonah Hill - The Wolf of Wall Street
Jared Leto - Dallas Buyers Club
Actress in a Supporting Role:
Sally Hawkins - Blue Jasmine
Jennifer Lawrence - American Hustle
Lupita Nyong'o - 12 Years a Slave
Julia Roberts - August: Osage County
June Squibb - Nebraska
Adapted Screenplay:
Before Midnight - Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke
Captain Phillips - Billy Ray
Philomena - Steve Coogan, Jeff Pope
12 Years A Slave - John Ridley
The Wolf of Wall Street - Terence Winter
Original Screenplay:
American Hustle - Eric Warren Singer, David O. Russell
Blue Jasmine - Woody Allen
Dallas Buyers Club - Craig Borten, Melisa Wallack
Her - Spike Jonze
Nebraska - Bob Nelson
Animated Feature Film:
The Croods
Despicable Me 2
Ernest & Celestine
Frozen
The Wind Rises
Cinematography:
The Grandmaster - Philippe Le Sourd
Gravity - Emmanuel Lubezki
Inside Llewyn Davis - Bruno Delbonnel
Nebraska - Phedon Papamichael
Prisoners - Roger A. Deakins
Costume Design:
American Hustle - Michael Wilkinson
The Grandmaster - William Chang Suk Ping
The Great Gatsby - Catherine Martin
The Invisible Woman - Michael O'Connor
12 Years A Slave - Patricia Norris
Documentary Feature:
The Act of Killing
Cutie and the Boxer
Dirty Wars
The Square
20 Feet from Stardom
Documentary Short Subject:
Cavedigger
Facing Fear
Karama Has No Walls
The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life
Prison Terminal: The Last Days of Private Jack Hall
Film Editing:
American Hustle - Jay Cassidy, Crispin Struthers, Alan Baumgarten
Captain Phillips - Christopher Rouse
Dallas Buyers Club - John Mac McMurphy, Martin Pensa
Gravity - Alfonso Cuaron, Mark Sanger
12 Years A Slave - Joe Walker
Foreign Language Film:
The Broken Circle Breakdown
The Great Beauty
The Hunt
The Missing Picture
Omar
Makeup And Hairstyling:
Dallas Buyers Club
Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa
The Lone Ranger
Music - Original Score:
The Book Thief
Gravity
Her
Philomena
Saving Mr. Banks
Music - Original Song:
Alone Yet Not Alone by Bruce Broughton and Dennis Spiegel, from Alone Yet Not Alone
Happy by Pharrell Williams, from Despicable Me 2
Let it Go by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, from Frozen
The Moon Song by Karen O, from Her
Ordinary Love by U2, from Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom
Production Design:
American Hustle
Gravity
The Great Gatsby
Her
12 Years A Slave
Sound Editing:
All Is Lost
Captain Phillips
Gravity
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Lone Survivor
Sound Mixing:
Captain Phillips
Gravity
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Inside Llewyn Davis
Lone Survivor
Visual Effects:
Gravity
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Iron Man 3
The Lone Ranger
Star Trek Into Darkness.

FOX Searchlight
Here are our picks for who will win, and (more importantly) who should win the film awards at the 2014 Golden Globes.
Best Supporting Actor in a Motion PictureMichael Fassbender, 12 Years a SlaveJared Leto, Dallas Buyers ClubBradley Cooper, American HustleDaniel Bruhl, RushBarkhad Abdi, Captain Phillips
Will Win: Michael FassbenderShould Win: Michael FassbenderThe supporting actor category has long been the domain of film's best villains, and it's hard to argue when actors continue to put forth powerful performances like Michael Fassbender's turn as the contemptible slave owner Edward Epps in 12 Years a Slave. Fassbender made his character a putrid mix of brutally cruel and embarrasingly pathetic.
Best Supporting Actress in a Motion PictureLupita Nyong'o, 12 Years a SlaveJennifer Lawrence, American HustleJulia Roberts, August: Osage CountyJune Squibb, NebraskaSally Hawkins, Blue Jasmine
Will Win: Luptia Nyong'oShould Win Luptia Nyong'oLuptia Nyong'o shows an incredible amount of strength in the face of unspeakable adversity as Patsey in 12 Years a Slave. The young actress gives an attention grabbing performance and proves that she can hold her own in scenes with actors like Michael Fassbender and Chiwetal Eijiofor.
Best Actor in a Motion Picture, DramaChiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a SlaveMatthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club Tom Hanks, Captain Phillips Robert Redford, All Is Lost Idris Elba, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
Will Win: Chiwetel EjioforShould Win: Robert RedfordChiwetel Ejiofor came out of nowhere and wowed critics and audiences alike with his searing performance as Solomon Northrup in 12 Years a Slave, but we think Robert Redford had the strongest performance of the year with his turn as the marooned sailor in All is Lost.
Best Actress in a Motion Picture, DramaCate Blanchett, Blue JasmineSandra Bullock, GravityEmma Thompson, Saving Mr. BanksJudi Dench, PhilomenaKate Winslet, Labor Day
Will Win: Cate BlanchettShould Win: Cate BlanchettEver since she wowed audiences in Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine, Cate Blanchett has been the heavy favorite to win the Best Actress category. This should be an easy win for the actress, whose performance in the film is worthy of all the praise.
Best ScreenplayJohn Ridley, 12 Years a SlaveBob Nelson, NebraskaEric Warren Singer and David O. Russell, American HustleJeff Pope and Steve Coogan, PhilomenaSpike Jonze, Her
Will Win: American HustleShould Win: HerWe're betting that American Hustle's witty heist script takes the top honor in this category, but we felt the most moved by Spike Jonze's searingly emotional and romantic script for Her.
Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or ComedyBruce Dern, NerbaskaLeonardo DiCaprio, The Wolf of Wall StreetChristian Bale, American HustleOscar Isaac, Inside Llewyn DavisJoaquin Phoenix, Her
Will Win: Christian BaleShould Win: Bruce DernThis category is pretty much a toss-up, and could go any number of ways. Isaac would be a well-deserved surprise, and although DiCaprio and Phoenix have both received multiple nods in the past, it's hard to picture them winning this time around. Dern, meanwhile, has won incredible reviews and a few early awards for his performance, and could ride this nomination to a victory (and maybe even another at the Oscars). But all in all, Bale is probably the safeest choice, considering his devotion to the off-the-wall, highly emotional role in David O. Russell's latest.
Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy Meryl Streep, August: Osage County Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Enough Said Amy Adams, American Hustle Julie Delpy, Before Midnight Greta Gerwig, Frances Ha
Will Win: Meryl Streep Should Win: Greta GertwigAlmost every time that Streep is nominated for an award, she takes home the prize - and rightly so, as she is one of the best actors of our time. However, in this case, it would be nice to see the HFPA break away from the safe choice and go with Gertwig, whose performance in Frances Ha was at once charming, realistic, and extremely compelling.
Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy Nebraska American Hustle The Wolf of Wall Street Inside Llewyn Davis Her
Will Win: American Hustle Should Win: Inside Llewyn DavisAmerican Hustle tied for the most Golden Globe nominations this year, making it clear that the HFPA are big fans of the film, which means it’s highly likely that the heist film will take home the prize. However, Inside Llewyn Davis has been hailed as the best Coen Brothers' movie yet, and it would be wonderful to see the moving, engaging film win.
Best DirectorAlfonso Cuaron, GravitySteve McQueen, 12 Years a SlaveDavid O. Russell, American HustlePaul Greengrass, Captain PhillipsAlexander Payne, Nebraska
Will Win: 12 Years a SlaveShould Win: 12 Years a SlaveWhile Steve McQueen's brutal slavery saga will probably take home the prize, Alfonso Cuaron created a terrifyingly authentic feeling version of space that had us wondering if the director actually threw his cameras into the stratosphere before filming. The Gravity helmer embued his film with boundless invention and techinical wizardry, while never loosing the sight of the characters at the center of his space disaster.
Best Motion Picture, Drama12 Years a SlaveGravityCaptain PhillipsRushPhilomena
Will Win: GravityShould Win: 12 Years a SlaveIn the biggest showdown of the night, we have a feeling that the HFPA will go light and choose the life-affirming blockbuster Gravity over the glum 12 Years a Slave, and leave the more serious fare for the Academy Awards. While we loved Gravity for all its CGI might, we would give the Best Picture to 12 Years a Slave, a movie that will stay in our hearts and minds for many years to come.
Best Animated Feature FilmFrozenThe CroodsDespicable Me 2
Will Win: FrozenShould Win: FrozenWith Frozen, Disney deliverd a wonderfully sweet subversion of the princess movie, and created a new set of princesses for modern era. Frozen is a brilliant film filled with drama, action, and humor, but most importantly, it places the relationship of two sister's at it's coursing heart.
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American Hustle and 12 Years A Slave are going head-to-head at the 2014 Golden Globe Awards after landing seven nominations each. The dramatic comedy will go up against Her, Inside Llewyn Davis, Nebraska and The Wolf of Wall Street for Best Motion Picture, Musical Or Comedy.
Its stars Christian Bale and Amy Adams scored a mention for Best Performance In A Motion Picture (Comedy or Musical), while Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper picked up nods for their supporting roles and David O. Russell landed a nomination for Best Director.
The film also picked up a Best Screenplay - Motion Picture nod.
Steve McQueen's 12 Years a Slave also landed seven nominations including Best Motion Picture, Drama, Best Performance Actor, Drama for Chiwetel Ejiofor, Best Supporting Actress for Lupita Nyong'o, Best Supporting Actor, Drama for Michael Fassbender, Best Director - Motion Picture for Steve McQueen, Best Screenplay - Motion Picture and Best Original Score - Motion Picture for Hans Zimmer.
In the TV categories, some of the small screen's biggest names are going head-to-head for the Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama. Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston, Ray Donovan's Liev Schreiber, Masters of Sex's Michael Sheen, House of Spades' Kevin Spacey and The Black List's James Spader are all nominated.
Meanwhile, The Good Wife's Julianna Margulies, Orphan Black's Tatiana Maslany, Orange is the New Black's Taylor Schilling, Scandal's Kerry Washington and House of Cards' Robin Wright all landed Best Actress in a TV series, Drama nods.
For the Best Television Series - Drama category Breaking Bad, Downton Abbey, The Good Wife, House of Cards and Masters of Sex will go up against each other.
Michael Douglas' and Matt Damon's Liberace biopic Behind the Candelabra scored three nominations including Best TV Movie Or Mini-series and Best Actor in a TV Movie or Mini-Series for Damon and Douglas.
Lee Daniels' The Butler, which has landed several nominations for the 2014 Screen Actors Guild awards, was completely shut out of the competition.
The 71st Annual Golden Globe Awards, co-hosted by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, will take place on 12 January (14) in Los Angeles.
The nominations were announced by actors Olivia Wilde, Aziz Ansari and Zoe Saldana in Beverly Hills, California on Thursday (12Dec13) and the complete list is as follows:
Best Motion Picture, Drama
12 Years a Slave
Captain Phillips
Gravity
Philomena
Rush
Best Actor In A Motion Picture, Drama
Chiwetel Ejiofor,12 Years a Slave
Idris Elba, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
Tom Hanks, Captain Phillips
Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club
Robert Redford, All is Lost
Best Actress In A Motion Picture, Drama
Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine
Sandra Bullock, Gravity
Judi Dench, Philomena
Emma Thompson, Saving Mr. Banks
Kate Winslet, Labor Day
Best Director - Motion Picture
Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity
Paul Greengrass, Captain Phillips
Steve McQueen, 12 Years a Slave
Alexander Payne, Nebraska
David O. Russell, American Hustle
Best Screenplay - Motion Picture
Spike Jonze, Her
Bob Nelson, Nebraska
Jeff Pope Steve, Philomena
John Ridley, 12 Years a Slave
David O. Russell and Eric Singer Warren, American Hustle
Best Motion Picture, Musical Or Comedy
American Hustle
Her
Inside Llewyn Davis
Nebraska
Wolf of Wall Street
Best Actress In A Motion Picture, Musical Or Comedy
Amy Adams, American Hustle
Julie Delpy, Before Midnight
Greta Gerwig, Frances Ha
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Enough Said
Meryl Streep, August: Osage County
Best Actor In A Motion Picture, Musical Or Comedy
Christian Bale, American Hustle
Bruce Dern, Nebraska
Leonardo DiCaprio, Wolf of Wall Street
Oscar Isaac, Inside Llewyn Davis
Joaquin Phoenix, Her
Best Animated Feature film
The Croods
Despicable Me 2
Frozen
Best Foreign Language Film
Blue Is The Warmest Color (France)
The Great Beauty (Italy)
The Hunt (Denmark)
The Past (Iran)
The Wind Rises (Japan)
Best Supporting Actress In A Motion Picture
Sally Hawkins, Blue Jasmine
Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle
Lupita Nyong'o, 12 Years a Slave
Julia Roberts, August: Osage County
June Squibb, Nebraska
Best Supporting Actor In A Motion Picture
Bradley Cooper, American Hustle
Michael Fassbender, 12 Years a Slave
Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club
Daniel Bruhl, Rush
Barkhad Abdi, Captain Phillips
Best Original Score - Motion Picture
All Is Lost - Alex Ebert
Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom - Alex Heffes
Gravity - Steven Price
The Book Thief - John Williams
12 Years a Slave - Hans Zimmer
Best Original Song - Motion Picture
Atlas, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Let It Go, Frozen
Ordinary Love, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
Please Mr. Kennedy, Inside Llewyn Davis
Sweeter Than Fiction, One Chance
Best TV Series, Drama
Breaking Bad
Downton Abbey
The Good Wife
House of Cards
Masters of Sex
Best Actress in a TV series, Drama
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black
Taylor Schilling, Orange is the New Black
Kerry Washington, Scandal
Robin Wright, House of Cards
Best Actor in a TV series, Drama
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Liev Schreiber, Ray Donovan
Michael Sheen, Masters of Sex
Kevin Spacey, House of Cards
James Spader, The Blacklist
Best TV Series, Comedy
The Big Bang Theory
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Girls
Modern Family
Parks and Recreation
Best Actress in a TV Series, Comedy
Zooey Deschanel, New Girl
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
Lena Dunham, Girls
Julia Louis Dreyfus, Veep
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation
Best Actor, TV Series Comedy
Jason Bateman, Arrested Development
Don Cheadle, House of Lies
Michael J. Fox, The Michael J. Fox Show
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory
Andy Samberg, Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Best TV Miniseries or Movie
American Horror Story: Coven
Behind the Candelabra
Dancing on the Edge
Top of the Lake
White Queen
Best Actress in a Mini-Series or TV Movie
Jessica Lange, American Horror Story: Coven
Helena Bonham Carter, Burton and Taylor
Rebecca Ferguson, The White Queen
Helen Mirren, Phil Spector
Elisabeth Moss, Top of the Lake
Best Actor in a Mini-Series or TV Movie
Matt Damon, Behind the Candelabra
Michael Douglas, Behind the Candelabra
Chiwetel Ejiofor, Dancing on the Edge
Idris Elba, Luther
Al Pacino, Phil Spector
Best Supporting Actress In A Series, Mini-Series, or TV Movie
Jacqueline Bisset, Dancing on the Edge
Janet McTeer, The White Queen
Hayden Panettiere , Nashville
Monica Potter, Parenthood
Sofia Vergara, Modern Family
Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Mini-Series or TV Movie
Josh Charles, The Good Wife
Rob Lowe, Behind the Candelabra
Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad
Corey Stoll, House of Cards
Jon Voight, Ray Donovan

Lions Gate via Everett Collection
When we last left our heroes, they had conquered all opponents in the 74th Annual Hunger Games, returned home to their newly refurbished living quarters in District 12, and fallen haplessly to the cannibalism of PTSD. And now we're back! Hitching our wagons once again to laconic Katniss Everdeen and her sweet-natured, just-for-the-camera boyfriend Peeta Mellark as they gear up for a second go at the Capitol's killing fields.
But hold your horses — there's a good hour and a half before we step back into the arena. However, the time spent with Katniss and Peeta before the announcement that they'll be competing again for the ceremonial Quarter Quell does not drag. In fact, it's got some of the film franchise's most interesting commentary about celebrity, reality television, and the media so far, well outweighing the merit of The Hunger Games' satire on the subject matter by having Katniss struggle with her responsibilities as Panem's idol. Does she abide by the command of status quo, delighting in the public's applause for her and keeping them complacently saturated with her smiles and curtsies? Or does Katniss hold three fingers high in opposition to the machine into which she has been thrown? It's a quarrel that the real Jennifer Lawrence would handle with a castigation of the media and a joke about sandwiches, or something... but her stakes are, admittedly, much lower. Harvey Weinstein isn't threatening to kill her secret boyfriend.
Through this chapter, Katniss also grapples with a more personal warfare: her devotion to Gale (despite her inability to commit to the idea of love) and her family, her complicated, moralistic affection for Peeta, her remorse over losing Rue, and her agonizing desire to flee the eye of the public and the Capitol. Oftentimes, Katniss' depression and guilty conscience transcends the bounds of sappy. Her soap opera scenes with a soot-covered Gale really push the limits, saved if only by the undeniable grace and charisma of star Lawrence at every step along the way of this film. So it's sappy, but never too sappy.
In fact, Catching Fire is a masterpiece of pushing limits as far as they'll extend before the point of diminishing returns. Director Francis Lawrence maintains an ambiance that lends to emotional investment but never imposes too much realism as to drip into territories of grit. All of Catching Fire lives in a dreamlike state, a stark contrast to Hunger Games' guttural, grimacing quality that robbed it of the life force Suzanne Collins pumped into her first novel.
Once we get to the thunderdome, our engines are effectively revved for the "fun part." Katniss, Peeta, and their array of allies and enemies traverse a nightmare course that seems perfectly suited for a videogame spin-off. At this point, we've spent just enough time with the secondary characters to grow a bit fond of them — deliberately obnoxious Finnick, jarringly provocative Johanna, offbeat geeks Beedee and Wiress — but not quite enough to dissolve the mystery surrounding any of them or their true intentions (which become more and more enigmatic as the film progresses). We only need adhere to Katniss and Peeta once tossed in the pit of doom that is the 75th Hunger Games arena, but finding real characters in the other tributes makes for a far more fun round of extreme manhunt.
But Catching Fire doesn't vie for anything particularly grand. It entertains and engages, having fun with and anchoring weight to its characters and circumstances, but stays within the expected confines of what a Hunger Games movie can be. It's a good one, but without shooting for succinctly interesting or surprising work with Katniss and her relationships or taking a stab at anything but the obvious in terms of sending up the militant tyrannical autocracy, it never even closes in on the possibility of being a great one.
3.5/5
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Title

Cast as Sal Maroni, an organized crime boss in the Batman sequel, "The Dark Knight"

Co-starred with Sylvester Stallone in "The Expendables," an 80s-style action adventure about a group of mercenaries who attempt to overthrow a South American dictator; film featured a Who's Who of action stars including Bruce Willis, Jet Li, and Arnold Sc

Played a recurring character on the NBC daytime soap opera, "Another World"

Joined the cast of NBC's "Heroes" as Thompson, an associate of Mr. Bennet

Studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in NYC

Starred in "It's My Party"

Raised primarily in Atlanta, Georgia by his father following parents' divorce

Suffered a serious accident in a Jeep and took a hiatus from acting

Played the villain in Fox TV-movie "Dr. Who"

Professional acting debut in "Rebel Women" at Public Theatre, New York

Received classical training at Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London

Stage debut at age four as a mute clown

Cast in the coming-of-age drama "A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints"

TV series debut as regular, "C16: FBI"

Began acting in Off-Broadway productions

Summary

Proclaimed by <i>Interview</i> magazine as having so handsome a profile "it could be struck on a Roman coin," actor Eric Roberts was best-known for two things: 1) being a great actor who was prone to making bad choices, and 2) being Julia Roberts' big brother. Blessed with a combination of a matinee idol's good looks and a thespian's acting ability, Roberts' talents were all too often squandered working in less-than-worthy material. When given a substantive script to play with, however, Roberts could occasionally be downright superb, infusing his performances with an intense charisma rarely seen on screen. Famed for his magnetic intensity, Roberts dazzled critics with his Oscar-nominated turn as Paul Snider, the obsessive and controlling beau of doomed <i>Playboy</i> playmate Dorothy Stratton (Mariel Hemingway) in director Bob Fosse's tragic biopic, "Star 80" (1983). Although Roberts seemed well on his way to becoming a major movie star during the 1980s, the actor ultimately found himself eclipsed in Hollywood by the rise of his younger sister - future Academy Award-winning "Pretty Woman" (1990) star, Julia Roberts.

Name

Role

Comments

Kelly Cunningham

Companion

Roberts sued to removed Cunningham from his home in October 1991; mother of Roberts' daughter Emma

Born Feb. 10, 1991; mother, Kelly Cunningham; played the lead on Nickelodeon's "Unfabulous" and in the films "Aquamarine" (2006) and "Nancy Drew" (2007)

Emma Roberts

Daughter

Born February 10, 1991; mother, Kelly Cunningham; best known for the Nickelodeon series "Unfabulous"

Lisa Roberts

Sister

Born in 1965; featured in "Something to Talk About" (1995) and Mona Lisa Smile (2003); also produced "Nothing to Lose" (1997)

Education

Name

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art

American Academy of Dramatic Arts

Notes

Many gossip columns have noted the estrangement between Eric and his younger sister, Julia Roberts. The source of the estrangment had been Eric's past drug abuse, and Julia's siding with his ex-girlfriend over the custody battle over Emma Roberts. In 2004, he told People magazine, that he and Julia reconciled when he went to visit her in the hospital after she gave birth to twins.

"In the past 10 years, I've made about 30 bad movies. They were all box office bombs." - Eric Roberts in the Daily News, March 24, 1996

"Up until the late 80s, I'd been so careful with my career that I only made a movie a year, sometimes every other year. But because of some bad investments, I was not a millionaire anymore. I decided the hell with it. So I started doing everything that was offered to me. I made a slew of B-movies, like 12 or 14, and some of them are pretty terrible." - Eric Roberts to Details, April 1996

"I was an abused child. It wasn't sexual abuse and it wasn't by a stranger. A family member used to beat me until I couldn't walk." - Roberts in the Daily News March 24, 1996. In 2001, Roberts revealed the family member was his mother.

"It was only after the birth of Emma that I began to realize I wasn't the only person on the planet. I really want to be a good father and I get a lot of help from my daughter. I was visiting her yesterday and I said, 'Okay, honey, I have to go now.' And she ran in front of the door and said 'Daddy, you can go when I say it's okay.' And I went right back and sat down." - Eric Roberts in the Daily News, March 24, 1996

"['It's My Party'] is one of the three or four best movies I've ever been in and the best movie I've been in for quite some time. The first time I saw it I cried for the last 20 minutes and I've never cried at my own movies. I'm sobbing and I'm really embarrassed, because if anyone sees me crying at my own movie, I'll feel foolish. The lights come on, and the 12 people in the room are all crying. So I was very happy to be one of them. That last half hour works on every level." - Eric Roberts quoted in The Advocate, Feb. 6, 1996